"The central fact is that we are planning agents." (M. Bratman, Intentions, Plans, and Practical Reasoning, 1987, p. 2) Recent arguments to the contrary notwithstanding, it seems to be the case that people-the best exemplars of general intelligence that we have to date do a lot of planning. It is therefore not surprising that modeling the planning process has always been a central part of the Artificial Intelligence enterprise. Reasonable behavior in complex environments requires the ability to consider what actions one should take, in order to achieve (some of) what one wants and that, in a nutshell, is what AI planning systems attempt to do. Indeed, the basic description of a plan generation algorithm has remained constant for nearly three decades: given a desciption of an initial state I, a goal state G, and a set of action types, find a sequence S of instantiated actions such that when S is executed instate I, G is guaranteed as a result. Working out the details of this class of algorithms, and making the elabora tions necessary for them to be effective in real environments, have proven to be bigger tasks than one might have imagined.

The 1973 military coup which overthrew the democratically elected left wing government of Salvador Allende gave previously peripheral elements of the right the opportunity to exercise almost unlimited political and economic power. However, with the return to democracy in 1990, the right had to adapt to electoral politics. This book examines whether it is conforming to the rules of the electoral game or still harking back to the golden age of military politics, a question of paramount importance to the future of Chile's still nascent democracy.

The 1973 military coup gave previously peripheral elements of the right the opportunity to exercise almost unlimited political and economic power. However, with the return to democracy in 1990, the right had to adapt to electoral politics. This book examines whether it is conforming to the rules of the electoral game.

Kenneth M. Pollack, formerly a Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and Director for Persian Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council, describes and analyzes the military history of the six key Arab states--Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Syria--during the post-World War II era. He shows in detail how each Arab military grew and learned from its own experiences in response to the specific objectives set for it and within often constrained political, economic, and social circumstances. This first-ever overview of the modern Arab approach to warfare provides a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the Arab militaries, some of which are the United States' most likely adversaries, and some of which are our most important allies.

Book one "The time of Adam and Eve"
In Chapter one of the book of Genesis, God the Father, CREATES a male and a female and blesses them and tells them to go out and REPLENISH the world. He gives them every thing His hands have created. These people of the Father God almost destroy them selves and create a weapon when discharged, covers the earth with a thick cloud and pigments their skin white. God the Father rests on the seventh day. In chapter two of the book of Genesis the Lord God FORMS a man on the seventh day, places him in a garden and forbids him from eating of the tree of life. When Adam and Eve are cast out of the garden they come face to face with the Sixth Day Man. The Seventh Day Man Adam, and his wife Eve, their children and their decedents are dark skinned, and clash with the white race of the Sixth Day people. Adam and Eve Who were formed on the Seventh Day by the Lord God, live on the Land of Adam where gopher wood grows. The Sixth Day Man Lives in the city of Eden which is ruled by Emperor Rama Dan Doo. They worship the god Ramah. Adam and Eve worship The Lord God.
Book two "The Time of Enoch"
This book continues the battles that the decedents of Adam and Eve must endure because of the color of their skin and their love for the Lord God. They are enslaved and treated horribly by the white skinned people of the world. The city of Eden and the Great city of Enoch are built on the backs of the children of Adam and Eve.
Book three "The Time of Noah"
The days of Noah mirrors our time in brutality and crime. The book is set into the future with anti-gravitational vehicles called click clacks and carts. Noah and his wife, who is his sister, along withhis father and grandfather, return to the Land Of Adam and God tells him to build an ark. When Noah tells the world what God has planned He and his family are laughed at, But Noah continues to build with help. He has encounters with Satan who tries to discourage him. This book may be a bit intense for the younger reader. The scriptural verses in the Sixth and Seventh Day Man are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Iraq still hangs in the balance. The dramatic improvements in Iraqi security between 2007 and 2009 have produced important, but incomplete changes in the nation's politics. These changes make it possible to imagine Iraq slowly muddling upward, building gradually toward a better future. But we must be constantly on guard against the considerable potential for Iraq to slip into all-out civil war. There are dozens of scenarios --from military coups, to official misconduct, to the assassination of one or two key leaders -- that could spark such violence.

In "Unfinished Business," a team of five experts from across the political spectrum analyze the situation in Iraq. They present a well-reasoned and feasible path for U.S. policy toward Baghdad --one that would give priority to preventing Iraq from slipping into civil war or becoming an aggressive state but that would also lead to a clear American goal: a new, strong, and prosperous ally in the Middle East.

Ultimately, the United States must condition the continuation of the U.S.-Iraqi relationship on the willingness of Iraqi political leaders to guide their country in the direction of greater stability, inclusivity, and effective governance.

Iraq is rapidly descending into all-out civil war. Unfortunately, the United States probably will not be able to just walk away from the chaos. Even setting aside the humanitarian nightmare that will ensue, a full-scale civil war would likely consume more than Iraq: historically, such massive conflicts have often had highly deleterious effects on neighboring countries and other outside states. Spillover from an Iraq civil war could be disastrous. Thus begins this sobering analysis of what the near future of Iraq could look like, and what America can do to reduce the threat of wider conflict. Preventing spillover of the Iraqi conflict into neighboring states must be a top priority. In explaining how that can be accomplished, Daniel Byman and Kenneth Pollack draw on their own considerable expertise as well as relevant precedents. The authors scrutinize several recent civil wars, including Lebanon, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Bosnia. After synthesizing those experiences into lessons on how civil wars affect other nations, Byman and Pollack draw from them to produce recommendations for U.S. policy. Even while the Bush Administration attempts to prevent further deterioration of the situation in Iraq, it needs to be planning how to deal with a full-scale civil war if one develops.

There is no greater foreign policy challenge for the United States today than the reconstruction of Iraq. The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings recently assembled a small group of experts to consider U.S. policy toward Iraq in all of its dimensions -military, political, and economic. Saban Center director of research Ken Pollack took the recommendations of the Iraq Policy Working Group and combined them with findings from trips to Iraq and to U.S. Central Command in Tampa to produce A Switch in Time, a comprehensive strategy for stabilizing Iraq in the near term and setting it back on the path toward political and economic advancement. The current U.S. approach is encountering considerable difficulty and appears unlikely to produce a stable Iraq within the next few years, not only because of the military insurgency but also because of government failure in Iraq: the overthrown Saddam regime was not replaced by effective military or political institutions. The alternative proposed by some Bush administration critics, however -a rapid withdrawal -would not serve U.S. interests. While many thoughtful experts have attempted to offer a realistic third course of action, none has so far succeeded. This report proposes such a strategy by detailing the essential need to integrate military, political, and economic policies in Iraq. This concise and straightforward book offers a comprehensive, alternative approach to current U.S. military, political, and economic policies in Iraq. Iraq Policy Working Group: Raad Alkadiri (PFC Energy Consulting), Frederick Barton (Center for Strategic and International Studies), Daniel Byman (Saban Center and Georgetown University), Noah Feldman (New York University), Paul Hughes (United States Army [ret.], United States Institute of Peace), Brian Katulis (Center for American Progress), Andrew Krepinevich Jr. (United States Army [ret.], Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments),Andrew Parasiliti (Barbour, Griffith & Rogers), Kenneth M. Pollack (Saban Center), Irena Sargsyan (Saban Center), and Joseph Siegle (Development Alternatives)

Even the most seasoned Middle East observers were taken aback by the events of early 2011. Protests born of oppression and socioeconomic frustration erupted throughout the streets; public unrest provoked violent police backlash; long-established dictatorships fell. How did this all happen? What might the future look like, and what are the likely ramifications for the United States and the rest of the world? In The Arab Awakening, experts from the Brookings Institution tackle such questions to make sense of this tumultuous region that remains at the heart of U.S. national interests. The first portion of The Arab Awakening offers broad lessons by analyzing key aspects of the Mideast turmoil, such as public opinion trends within the "Arab Street"; the role of social media and technology; socioeconomic and demographic conditions; the influence of Islamists; and the impact of the new political order on the Arab-Israeli peace process. The next section looks at the countries themselves, finding commonalties and grouping them according to the political evolutions that have (or have not) occurred in each country. The section offers insight into the current situation, and possible trajectory of each group of countries, followed by individual nation studies. The Arab Awakening brings the full resources of Brookings to bear on making sense of what may turn out to be the most significant geopolitical movement of this generation. It is essential reading for anyone looking to understand these developments and their consequences.

Crafting a new policy toward Iran is a complicated, uncertain, and perilous challenge. Since it is an extremely complex society, with an opaque political system, it is no wonder that the United States has not yet figured out the puzzle that is Iran. With the clock ticking on Iran's pursuit of nuclear capabilities, solving this puzzle is more urgent than ever.

"In Which Path to Persia?" a group of experts with the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings lays out the courses of action available to the United States. What are the benefits and drawbacks of airstrikes? Can engagement be successful? Is regime change possible? In answering such questions, the authors do not argue for one approach over another. Instead, they present the details of the policies so that readers can understand the complexity of the challenge and decide for themselves which course the United States should take.

Here is a compendium of powerful, pithy quotes especially selected to advise and amuse girls age 12 and up. Included in this book are wise women from past and present—suffragists and CEOs, pioneers and politicians, moms and musicians, athletes and actors, and many more. The quotes are grouped into inviting chapters, such as "Friendship," "Confidence," "Adventure," "Creativity," and "Leadership," which include a brief introduction from the author. With selections by everyone from Anne Frank to Anna Quindlen, Eleanor Roosevelt to Rosie O'Donnell, Anaos Nin to Ani DiFranco, and Emma Goldman to Whoopi Goldberg, this is a lively collection perfect for dipping into anytime a girl needs a quick dose of inspiration.

"One of my rules is: Never try to do anything. Just do it."
–Ani DiFranco, singer-songwriter

"You must never feel that you have failed. You can always come back to something later when you have more knowledge or better equipment and try again."
–Getrude Elion, biochemist

"If you find something you really love as you're growing up, look hard to see if you can make a living at it instead of giving it up for something more sensible."
–Jennifer Lamb, stuntwoman

"Can you imagine what would happen if girls took all the energy they spent worrying about their image and put it into painting, writing, theorizing, science, or sports?"
–Joan Jacobs Brumberg, writer

The Girls' Book of Wisdom has received the following awards:
American Library Association's Young Adult Services Association: "Popular Paperback for Young Adults" and "Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers for 2000."

Disney Adventures magazine: Winner of Best Book Award in "Entertainment/Biography" Category, for 1999.